-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The Ohio state Senate passed a bill Wednesday that would curb the collective bargaining rights of public workers and strip away their power to strike .

Lawmakers approved the measure by a count of 17 to 16 , with six Republicans voting in opposition .

The bill , known as Senate Bill 5 , is supported by Republican Governor John Kasich . It would curb a 1983 Ohio state law that affords collective bargaining rights to public employees .

`` No surprise , '' said Senate President Tom Niehaus . `` I 've been saying for weeks that we have the votes to pass this bill . It reflects the diverse interests that our members have around the state of Ohio , '' he said .

The near-500-page proposal was modified Tuesday with Republican-supported amendments cobbled into a single omnibus package .

Modifications include new measures to settle workplace arbitration , limits on worker vacation and an end to their ability to negotiate health care and automatic pay raises based on seniority .

The amended legislation would also restore collective bargaining rights on wages but ban strikes by all public-sector workers , imposing fines and terminating employment contracts for those who defy the ban .

Democratic lawmakers described the proposal as union-busting . Their GOP counterparts argued that it 's needed to tackle an overreach of union influence they regard as an impediment to fiscal reform .

`` It passed by the most narrowest of margin , '' said Democratic State Senator Joe Schiavoni . `` That really shows how much public outcry on this bill . That they can change a 27-year-old law in three weeks is scary . ''

Meanwhile , protesting crowds gathered in Columbus , Ohio , chanting slogans like `` Shame on you ! '' following the Senate vote .

Earlier Wednesday the measure sailed through a Senate Labor Committee following a last-minute GOP shuffle that resulted in the replacement of Republican Senator Bill Seitz .

Seitz said he mostly supported the bill , and the need for collective bargaining reform , but disagreed with a provision that would allow employer management to `` impose its will on the final terms of the contract when fact-finding and mediation fail . ''

`` That violates the fundamental principle that one can not be simultaneously a judge and an advocate in his own cause , '' he said , calling for an `` elected , independent , neutral '' party to adjudicate those cases involving state workers .

The bill now moves onto the Republican-controlled House where lawmakers are expected to take up the measure on March 10 .

Ohio , often considered a battleground for presidential politics , faces an $ 8 billion shortfall in the next two-year budget .

CNN 's Julian Cummings contributed to this report

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Ohio Senate passes bill to curb collective bargaining rights of public workers

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Lawmakers approved the measure by a count of 17 to 16 ; six Republicans voted no

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Legislation would also strip public workers ' power to strike